Home
Review
Cookworks DF5318-GS deep-fat fryer review

We’ve picked products we think you’ll love and may earn commission from links on this page. Read about why you can trust Good Food reviews.

Cookworks DF5318-GS deep-fat fryer review

Pete Wise

Published: September 29, 2020 at 4:51 PM

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.

Our RatingTry our app for ad-free recipe inspiration

Deep-fat fryers give foods a golden, crispy finish, great for cooking everything from chips to churros. Read our review of this fryer by Cookworks.

Pros
makes great chips, safe design
Cons
indicator lights are a bit dim, quite awkward to clean and empty of oil

Cookworks DF5318-GS deep-fat fryer summary

This Cookworks fryer has its quirks and foibles, but once you’ve learnt its ins and outs, it will make you some of the finest chips you could hope to deep-fry. It comes in packaging proportionate to the appliance, and is largely recyclable.

How was the Cookworks fryer to use?

Setting up the appliance is pretty easy: it’s just a matter of powering the appliance on, adding the oil, then turning the thermostat to the desired temperature. We felt that the indicator lights could be a little brighter, as they were quite hard to discern on a bright September day in the kitchen. Operating the handle, basket and lid release button is a simple, intuitive matter.

This fryer seems to work much better at very high temperatures – in the region of 180-190C – than it does at the lower temperatures in its controllable range. It took about 10 minutes for the fryer to heat oil up to 130C, and our kitchen thermometer indicated the fryer was actually running slightly less hot than the temperature indicated.

What were the results of the Cookworks fryer like?

For some users, the temperature inaccuracy will be a deal breaker. However, we found that this fryer actually works exceptionally well, if you just turn the thermostat a little higher than the temperature you would normally use. The cooking guidance in the instruction manual hints that its makers may have arrived at the same conclusion, as very high temperatures are recommended for almost all food types.

Persevering with the DF5318-GS produced some of the very best chips we made while testing deep-fat fryers. The skins were a golden colour mottled with brown, and were lightly crisp and sweet. They were evenly cooked throughout, with perfectly fluffy insides.

How practical is the Cookworks fryer?

With a 500g food capacity, this fryer is capacious enough to cook moderate portions for two. The circular shape of the frying bowl makes good use of the space available within the appliance.

Unfortunately, emptying the oil is a bit of a cumbersome process, and the fryer’s nooks and crannies can be hard work to clean. It’s also a fairly bulky fryer to store.

Interestingly, this fryer has an odour filter. Deep-fat fryers tend not to be the nicest-smelling of appliances, so we were pleased to note this feature seemed to work well.

Cookworks DF5318-GS deep-fat fryer specifications

Maximum temperature: 190C
Oil capacity: 2.5l
Food capacity: 0.5kg
Power: 1800W

More on deep-frying

How to deep-fry safely
26 best deep-fried recipes
Best deep-fat fryers tried and tested
Is air frying healthy?
Best air fryers

This review was last updated in September 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.